Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 205 Avoiding the "Spendthrift Son"

The mutiny in Yaodu shocked the world. This upheaval also affected the palace, and Emperor Ming and his family disappeared during the mutiny.

On the night of the mutiny, the arrogance of the nobles of Yaodu was utterly shattered. Not only them, but even the women of Emperor Heming's household were violated. The screams of the noblewomen echoed throughout the streets that night with the turning of the wooden donkey carts, and the emperor's dignity and prestige were completely destroyed by these beasts.

Ji Yan, who supported Emperor Heming's ascension to the throne, jumped off the city wall when the chaotic troops besieged the city.

After venting their anger and committing heinous crimes, the Evil Family Army fled in panic three days later; however, they were subsequently surrounded and annihilated by various armies from the surrounding areas.

The looted property, including palace items, by the Evil Family Army has fallen into the hands of warlords. Now, the divination blocks are all unclaimed.

As for the Yuzhou faction, their situation became extremely dire after the deaths of those who cooperated with them, and even after the disappearance of Emperor Heming.

After hastily returning, the troops of Yuzhou finally found the heir of Emperor Heming, who had escaped the calamity. They hastily enthroned him as the new ruler and withdrew from the chaotic capital of Yao. However, the new ruler died of shock on the way! His face turned an unnatural gray, with blue veins spreading across it.

Looking back over the past few years, Yuzhou had been busy for a long time, losing a lot of military equipment and supplies, and returned to Yuzhou in disgrace with nothing to show for it. This withdrawal foreshadowed the complete failure of the route of "going to the capital to restore order to the country".

In the eyes of insightful people across the land, the only path forward for the local lords was to establish their own independent regimes.

…the bones of high-ranking officials…

Ten years ago, no one could have imagined that Da Yao would squander his fortune to this extent. Although the border troubles were unstable and signs of bandits rising up from all sides appeared in the final years of Emperor Xu's reign, the wealth left to Yao Du was quite substantial.

Firstly, the Yao family was the wealthiest in the world; secondly, their arsenal was abundant; and thirdly, they had a powerful army (the Dongshi Army) composed of local nobles. At the time, no one could imagine how such a wealthy family could possibly squander it all.

But after the Dongshi Army was ousted to Bohai by the incompetent forces in the court, they were unable to return home. Yaodu was like a useless person with a malfunctioning immune system.

Now, no matter which foreign army enters Beijing, its commander faces the reality that "Yaodu" is a burdensome city that cannot increase military points.

Xuan Chong: Strategically, the outlying lords who occupy Yaodu face a serious strategic problem: they have two strategic weaknesses that they must defend—their own home province and Yaodu itself. If other armies were to attack either of these, it could shatter their strategy of restoring order to the world.

Moreover, capturing Yaodu is of great strategic significance. This force also has two additional strategic objectives: first, to unite with the western lords to resist the Hao army led by Zhao Cheng.
Second: Once they take control of Yaodu, their diplomatic relations with the real Yaodu army—the troops of Bodi—will decline.

The decline in diplomatic relations between the Ming Dynasty and Bohai cannot be attributed to either side; both sides, including the Yen and Yuzhou, had issues.

He didn't want the Dongshi faction's military merits to return, as it would dilute his power; in his view, annihilating the "Suwang faction" depended entirely on his own strategy. Meanwhile, the Yuzhou army dared not let the Dongshi troops return, as they were too localized, and their return would likely turn them into "foreign troops."

Therefore, both sides rejected the return of the Eastern Market Army from Bohai. Only Emperor Heming himself wanted to ease tensions, but he was a puppet.

This is why the increase in "military points" for each line is almost zero, meaning that lines cannot recruit soldiers.

In this chaotic world, any major city in any province is a potential source of conscription and provisions for warlords. So why can't Yaodu conscript soldiers?
Firstly, the people of Yaodu were unwilling. Given the precedent of the Dongshi Army, the officials of Yaodu did not deliver on their "promises."

Therefore, whether it is a high-ranking official or a commoner, when faced with the imminent collapse of the "old man" represented by the "Da Yao" (a specific type of hexagram), no one dares to lend a helping hand.

Furthermore, the people of Yaodu have a very poor understanding of military affairs. They believe that "armies" are only used for conquering foreign lands and never think that they themselves will one day be plundered and need a force of soldiers to protect them.

Their arrogance, cultivated over thousands of years as first-class subjects under the emperor, stems from the belief that no one dares to lay a hand on them and that they are sacred and inviolable.

Therefore, they hoped that troops from other regions entering the capital would undertake the task of "external conquest." Yuzhou demonstrated this, but found it wouldn't work.

When the E'jun plundered Yaodu, the main force of Yuzhou went far to the east to meet with many feudal lords.

The "Kuangfu Faction" was determined to unite against Zhao Cheng's aggressive offensive. However, Yuzhou never expected that one of its ancestral homes would be stolen by a defeated army they looked down upon. Even if they had realized it, they still couldn't salvage the situation! Yaodu was in a dead end.

After this great plunder, the people of Yaodu realized that having their own army was not only about conquering others, but also about preventing themselves from being conquered.

Amidst the ruins, a wealthy young master from Yaodu, his face covered in dust, muttered, "Wrong, all wrong. We shouldn't have driven the Dongshi army out."

However, they didn't know they were wrong; they were just hurt and felt the pain.

…messages sent by carrier pigeon…

After learning of the dire situation in Yaodu, Xuan Chong realized that the scholar-officials, using their own class's "Confucian morality," held the soldiers to high standards, yet failed to grant these people, who were risking their lives and shedding blood, the authority befitting their higher social class. Naturally, this backfired. Next time you expect the army to protect you, you must use respectful language. The army may generously and enthusiastically refuse, but you, as the one being protected, cannot be ignorant of proper etiquette!

When Xuan Chong led the Dongshi Army, his first priority was to rent out brothels to satisfy the most basic physiological needs of those poor men, then their spiritual needs, and finally their needs for upward social mobility.

This place, Yaodu, which gathers scholars of Confucianism from all over the world, doesn't want to give anything. It just wants to use moral logic to make the soldiers admit that "it is right to fight for the interests of our noble race."

As a result, the Dongshi military forces were labeled "arrogant" for slightly refuting the accusations, were disliked by the literati, and were exiled to Bohai after a round of impeachments, unable to return home.

Today, the generals of the Eastern City Army, who all came from Yaodu, couldn't help but drink heartily and make sarcastic remarks: "You (the powerful and influential people of Yaodu) are amazing. You sit in the halls of power, pointing fingers at the world and scolding us. Now you've finally brought the rebel army to your own backyard."

…the defeated enemy…

The situation continued to develop. Qi Shangnian, the "Grand General" who was originally in the west to unite the feudal lords, saw that the situation was hopeless and immediately led his troops away, leaving his allies to Zhao Cheng.

The "Grand General" title bestowed upon him last year was conferred by the Ming Dynasty; now that Emperor Ming has been killed in the chaos of war, he has lost his right to command the world.

After returning to Yaodu and Heluo last year, Qi immediately began to gather his remaining forces there, and then led 30,000 soldiers back to his hometown of Yuzhou. This army was formed by conscripting soldiers from the vicinity of Yaodu, and many of them returned with their families.

However, at this moment, Ningzhou took the lead in launching an attack, claiming that the Qi family of Yuzhou was plotting to usurp the throne, and then dispatched 5,000 elite troops to ambush the Yuzhou army.

After being ambushed, the defeated troops of Yuzhou, who were already demoralized, scattered in all directions after losing one or two thousand corpses.

Ningzhou then seized the opportunity to invade Yuzhou. Despite the governor of Yuzhou's desperate pleas for reinforcements, Ningzhou's troops captured nine of its cities. The main force of Ningzhou's army numbered 6,000, with 50,000 laborers, and they claimed to number 100,000. They advanced menacingly to the main city of Yuzhou.

The main city of Yuzhou was located right on the riverbank. A ship thirty feet long was positioned on the riverbank, and with its cannon windows open, it unleashed an exaggerated barrage of fire from hundreds of heavy cannons, like a rain of fire falling from the sky, directly blasting down the walls of Yuzhou.

As the Ningzhou siege force pressed forward, the remaining troops of Yuzhou had long lost their will to fight and fled down the city walls. Only Qi Shangnian was left standing alone on the empty wall.

Seeing that all was lost, General Qi Shangnian tidied his beard, then stood atop the city wall, sword in hand and clad in armor. As the Ningzhou soldiers scaled the wall, he drew his sword and killed several. Facing the remaining Ningzhou troops surging up from the surrounding walls, he cried out to the heavens, "I cannot protect the Emperor above, nor can I safeguard the land and its people below. I cannot live on in this world, I am ashamed before the world!" He then jumped off the wall and fell to his death.

His act of loyalty at the last moment was merely an attempt to gain posthumous fame in the event of defeat (he stubbornly refused to admit defeat even in death).

Xuan Chong commented: "This man sacrificed his life for his country; he was truly responsible!"

…Blue Flame searches for a new parasite…

Just as Ningzhou was attacking Yuzhou, Wu Hengyu suddenly launched an attack from the north, targeting Yuzhou's ally, Dongzhou. The Dongzhou army, which had been holding back for a full year, with only three days' worth of provisions, rushed towards Dongzhou's main city.

The powerful bows and crossbows formed arrow ladders directly on the brick wall. Then, Wu Hengyu rode his black horse and rushed towards the city wall. Before his own climbing team arrived, he overturned the large pot of molten gold on the city wall and sent the wooden battering ram flying.

The Eastern Army soldiers then scaled the city and captured it. That night, at the victory banquet, Wu Hengyu was suddenly whispered to by his family. After a pause, Wu Hengyu dismissed the other guests and went to a side hall.

Here, Xian Daoren had been waiting for a long time before coming to join them. Inside the tent, Wu Hengyu looked at the mage who had served under his father and said in an unfriendly tone, "Master, after all these years of traveling around, you've finally thought of my home."

Xian Daoren cupped his hands and said, "General, I am a little late, but there is a saying in my hometown: though late, you will still arrive."

Wu Hengyu: "Oh, what a coincidence! Why didn't you come when my father was alive?"

Xian Daoren: "Back then, the old general did not want anyone to accompany him, including you, Lord Yuan Changbing, and me."

Wu Hengyu held the cup and looked at him. The meaning of Wu Hanluan that Wang Xi conveyed in his last letter was known only to himself and Wu Fei, but now this Taoist priest had made it clear.

Wu Hengyu probed, "Then why did you come to my place instead of my brother Yuanchang's?"

Xian Daoren: "My junior sister has already taken a place with General Yuan Chang, and General Yuan Chang may not want me there. (If Xian Daoren goes, Xuan Chong will indeed be wary of the suddenly growing Empress Dowager faction.)"

Wu Hengyu: "Then what advice do you have for me, Daoist Master?"

Xian Daoren: "Are the descendants of the Bo King here with the general?"

Wu Hengyu narrowed his eyes. Xian Daoren wasn't annoyed, because before the new plan could begin, he needed to accept his host's bad temper.

…The lessons of the past serve as a guide for the future…

In April of the second year of the Tongzheng era, Wu Lu was eleven years old when Xuan Chong issued an order to transfer him to the frontier.

Xuan Chong was deeply moved by Da Yao's prodigal son's behavior and decided to let Wu Lu grow from the bottom up.

An excellent ruler is neither raised in the deep palace nor impoverished in the countryside.

Rather, it's about understanding the changes in a region! This change could be due to the mistakes of the previous monarch, leading to a region going from rich to poor, like Emperor Xuan of Han. Or it could be a region that, after being governed well, went from poor to rich, like the Dai Kingdom under Emperor Wen of Han.

The factors determining whether a region is rich or poor are not the gold and silver treasures in the inner palace, but rather the granaries, roads, and irrigation canals, as well as the allocation of labor and resources under the bureaucratic system.

These elements of governance can only be truly appreciated by rulers who grew up in a region undergoing change and development. Upon returning to power, they will adjust the various mechanisms of the state according to the "importance" of these elements imprinted in their minds, rather than haphazardly operating them from a control panel.

For example, Emperor Chongzhen wanted to govern the country well, but when he sat on the control panel, he didn't know how to play.

Xuan Chong summoned Wu Lu to the four prefectures of Lingjiang, and at the same time, he summoned Wu Juwang and his team to govern the four prefectures of Lingjiang. This was to let Wu Lu know that the water he drank came from the reservoirs he built, the horses he rode were raised by the local people, the grain he grew was irrigated by the irrigation canals, and that the silt used to cultivate the land was also important.

As for Wu Lu's clamor to learn military strategy? Xuan Chong doesn't want to teach Wu Lu military strategy, at least not openly.

Xuan Chong left a letter for Wu Lu, who was thirty years old: "Weapons are instruments of violence. When you feel that 'committing violence' is powerful, you are not worthy to study military strategy. Remember this, and all future generations of our family's military strategy should be passed down in this way."

When questioned by the many members of the Wu family clan, Xuan Chong responded rudely: "Because he can't endure that hardship. Just like you all, he's just trying to get credit for others' work."

These words so insulted Wu Zhantie and the others that they dared not utter another word.

In the realm of military strategy, one will inevitably be at a disadvantage if one doesn't endure the most hardship and suffer the most severe beatings. Furthermore, the military system has its unique characteristics; investment doesn't guarantee results, but rather only victory in confrontation can recoup all capital. If one is even slightly weaker, the investment of the weaker party in the confrontation will be completely wasted.

Why doesn't Xuan Chong dare to engage Zhao Cheng in direct field battles now? Because he knows that he might still be slightly weaker than Zhao Cheng in terms of command and control, and his lifelong reputation could be ruined in an instant. Therefore, he adopts the "enduring the old man" tactic.

Wu Lu can now command troops through self-study in the military, but he is far inferior to someone of Wu Rui's level.

This is the difference between a college student who barely passed the first-tier university entrance exam and a top scorer.

Moreover, Wu Rui has another advantage: his reputation is not prominent, and the powerful figures from all sides are unaware of his abilities. Xuan Chong can calmly arrange for him to start from the ranks and gradually cultivate him.

But Wu Lu is different. He is Xuan Chong's son, and Wu Lu, who will inherit his name, will definitely face the most difficult initial battle. He will be crushed as soon as he shows his face.

Just like Zhao Kuo, the son of Zhao She, and Zhuge Zhan, the son of Zhuge Liang, they appeared under the halo of their fathers. There were absolutely no easy monsters for them to level up. In national wars, other forces would kill these two second-generation figures as soon as they came up. And the fact that these two second-generation figures could die for their country was already the top level of the second generation.

At the governance level, the tolerance for error is higher. As long as one invests patiently and has a broad perspective, things can be stabilized.

…the rule of the Three Dynasties…

Xuan Chong, accompanied by Wu Lu, rode a mule to conduct surveys in the countryside, while a field in the forest was being developed.

Xuan Chong planned four fortresses in this area, and he had Wu Lu memorize the details of these fortresses.

Wu Lu meticulously marked out four fortified positions on the sand, specifying the amount of land around each fortified position that could be cultivated. He also listed the names of the resident families at each of the four fortified positions, as well as their contracts with the relevant film companies.

Wu Lu: "According to regulations, such a fortress is garrisoned by three hundred men; under your decree, Father, the soldiers are jointly supplied by the four major families of Shi, Tie, Ran, and Hui. They are here to defend the territory and maintain the influence of the Great Yao within this region."

Xuan Chong looked at him and said, "Tell me why we don't implement the prefecture-county system here."

Wu Lu had done his homework: "In this fortress, apart from serious crimes like rebellion that require trial by higher authorities, cases of theft and robbery can be handed over to the clan elders. Exile, flogging, and detention are all decided by the clan elders."

Wu Lu said: "Because the General's Mansion can only control this land through trade, and the people involved in trade are often itinerant, many of them are chivalrous, and chivalrous people use their martial arts to break the law. Since there is no law for commerce, we can only let the garrison soldiers make decisions on our behalf."

As for these four fortresses in the southern border, will they drift further and further apart like the Wu family and the Great Yao Dynasty in the future?
It can only be said that no law can remain unbroken for a thousand years. Da Yao's loss of control over the Wu family was a result of his own moral failings. His contradictory actions cannot explain the legal principles governing the series of ritual constraints imposed on such powerful regional officials as the Wu family.

If the samurai family is one day unable to uphold the obligations between itself and these four fortresses, it would be reasonable for the samurai family to be rejected.

At this moment, Xuan Chong erected stone tablets in the four fortresses, the inscriptions expounding the values ​​of "men diligently farming, women diligently weaving, self-sufficient through day and night." As for the legitimacy of the inscriptions? —The inscriptions end with: "Heaven and Earth, the vastness of humanity, and the witness of gods and men!"

Xuan Chong did not include "obeying the Wu family for generations" in this legal principle.

Xuan Chong silently thought to himself: "The idea of ​​being loyal to one family for generations is completely unreliable; even if the frontier is loyal in the early stages, it can't withstand the instigation, provocation, and questioning of the necessity of this loyalty by some trolls."

For some reason, when Xuan Chong thought of this, he unconsciously thought of that Daoist Xian, whose face looked very dishonest.

Xuan Chong muttered to himself, "Why am I making these wild assumptions? He's a good friend of my uncle's. How can I judge a book by its cover?"

Xuan Chong patted Wu Lu's head: "Learn more here."

Wu Lu: "Father, what about the southern expedition? Aren't you taking me with you?"

Xuan Chong: "If you can't even govern this one county, why should the soldiers believe you can fight a war?"

Then he pinched his ear and said, "To govern your subjects, they only need to be fed; but soldiers, in addition to being fed, also need you to give them positions, so you need to know which positions are good in this country first."

(End of this chapter)